Cette thèse étudiera la franc-maçonnerie de traditions européennes qui se transforma au cœur des périodes colonisatrices française et britannique de 1778 à 1915. Les loges du Grand Orient de France qui s’implantèrent, sous la colonisation française de l’Isle de France, à la fin du XVIIIe siècle furent des pionnières de la maçonnerie dans un pays qui vécut, simultanément, une nouvelle période de colonisation britannique, à partir de 1810, et des changements drastiques aux niveaux démographique, socio-économique, ethnique et politique. Le fait maçonnique ne put que changer intrinsèquement dans le contexte insulaire multiculturel alors que la colonie, n’ayant pas de peuples autochtones, devint le terreau d’une multitude de traditions européennes, africaines et asiatiques. La maçonnerie locale acquit, grâce aux échanges entre les loges françaises et les nouvelles obédiences qui s’implantèrent (la Grande Loge Unie d’Angleterre, la Grande Loge d’Ecosse, la Grande Loge d’Irlande et le Suprême Conseil de France), une identité insulaire et mauricienne. Cette thèse montrera comment l’institution maçonnique mit en exergue la possibilité de construire une cohésion et un espace de partage à certains moments-clés de l’histoire du pays. Cependant, les loges françaises et britanniques eurent à faire face aux grands défis socio-politiques, économiques et religieux du XIXe siècle et du début du XXe siècle. En effet, les maçons furent aussi en proie aux divisions et conflits liés au multiculturalisme et à la pluriethnicité de la société coloniale. Cette thèse démontrera, en l’occurrence, comment la franc-maçonnerie de plusieurs obédiences développa des fonctionnements et des traditions influencés par le contexte et put maintenir un œcuménisme malgré les difficultés. Pourtant, la fin du XXe siècle entraîna les loges dans des divergences religieuses, idéologiques et institutionnelles et certains éléments, qui firent du laboratoire maçonnique mauricien un exemple des valeurs universelles et de la fraternité internationale, devinrent les sources mêmes de divisions. / This thesis will study freemasonry coming from European cultures which was transformed in the midst of French and British colonising periods from 1778 to 1915. The Grand Orient de France lodges, which settled under the French colonising regime of Isle de France at the end of the 18th century, introduced freemasonry in a country which underwent, simultaneously, a new British colonising era, as from 1810, and deep changes on the demographic, socio-economic, ethnic and political levels. Freemasonry could not but profoundly change in this insular multicultural context as the colony, which did not have any indigenous population, became the melting pot of various European, African and Asian traditions. Local freemasonry acquired, owing to the relations of the French lodges with the different lodges which were created (of the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the Grand Lodge of Ireland and the Suprême Conseil de France), an insular and Mauritian identity. This thesis will show how the Craft enabled cohesion and provided a place for sharing at some milestones in the history of the country. However, the French and British lodges had to face the grand socio-political, economic and religious challenges of the 19th century. In fact, the freemasons had also to experience the divisions and conflicts induced by the multicultural and multi-ethnic colonial society. Therefore, this thesis will to show how freemasonry from different grand lodges developed practices and traditions influenced by the context and were able to uphold ecumenism in spite of the obstacles. However, the lodges got caught into religious, ideological and institutional conflicts at the end of the 19th century and some components, which made of the Mauritian masonic laboratory an example of universal values and international fraternalism, eroded.

A common practice of multinational companies is to temporarily transfer employees to international locations in order to exchange technology, launch new ventures, and facilitate communication within the company. To do this, multinational companies must make a number of decisions regarding their expatriate programs. Even though international companies would rather stay focused on the professional performance of their employees without having to "meddle" in personal and family affairs, recent research has shown that the adaptation of the accompanying spouse is one of the most critical factors in expatriate assignment success or failure. By studying the available literature on expatriate spouse adaptation, coupled with conducting my own exploratory research with American expatriate spouses currently living in France, I was led to the conclusion that adequate, pre-departure preparation is indispensable to an expatriate spouse's successful cross-cultural adaptation. To improve the efficacy of pre-departure training, I propose providing expatriate spouses with personal trainers who will teach them to adopt a new mindset for the purpose of conducting cultural analysis. This mindset involves assuming the role of anthropologist—just as an actor would assume a role in a play. The benefits of this approach are twofold: firstly, imagining oneself as an anthropologist provides excellent motivation to get out and explore a new culture rather than avoiding it and hiding out in the safe haven of one's own home; secondly, having a new, temporary identity will help create the emotional distance necessary to minimize reactionary, negative feelings and allow for progressive, cross-cultural understanding. While being sensitive to prospective expatriate spouses' personal goals, personal trainers should provide concrete methods to help mitigate culture shock's related stresses, as well as helping expatriate spouses develop appropriate coping skills to assist them in dealing with the unsettling experience of living in another culture. By implementing improvements in relocation programs, such as the solution I propose, multinational companies can maintain an acceptable return on investment for their relocation programs while affording expatriate employees and their respective families an enriching and life-changing intercultural experience.

Ce travail de recherches dans divers centres d‟archives (Paris, Nantes, Bucarest, Genève) réalise une synthèse des relations culturelles franco-roumaines de 1878 à 1965. Il s‟agit de comprendre, comment la France affaiblie après 1870 est plus que jamais considérée par l‟élite roumaine comme sa « grande soeur latine ». Puis, forte de cette reconnaissance, comment elle institutionnalise sa propagande culturelle dans la Grande Roumanie (1919-1939) pour oeuvrer aux côtés des Roumains à la latinisation des territoires annexés, et parvient à la signature de l‟accord culturel de mars 1939 dans l‟environnement hostile des régimes fasciste et nazi. La dernière période de 1940 à 1965 traite des aléas de ces relations : maintien difficile des OEuvres françaises durant la guerre, renouveau espéré des échanges de 1944 à 1947, jusqu‟à la dénonciation de l‟accord en 1948 par la Roumanie sous tutelle soviétique. Suit une traversée du désert qui aboutit avec peine au nouvel accord de 1965. Tout au long de cette période, la culture française s‟enrichie au contact des intellectuels et artistes roumains dont les oeuvres entrent dans le patrimoine français. L‟auteure de la thèse fait découvrir son trisaïeul roumain, le peintre Mihai Simonidi (1872-1933), à partir des archives familiales. Arrivé en France en 1892, il acquiert une certaine renommée auprès du Tout-Paris à l‟occasion de l‟Exposition Universelle de 1900 ainsi qu‟auprès de l‟élite bucarestoise. Peintre de nus, de marines et de fresques magistrales dont certaines décorent encore l‟intérieur de bâtiments bucarestois, il réalise également des portraits de célébrités françaises du monde artistique et littéraire et de politiques roumains. / This study of Franco-Rumanian cultural relations between 1878 and 1965 is the fruit of research carried out in a number of archive centres (Paris, Nantes, Bucharest and Geneva). Its objective is to understand why France, in its weakened state after the 1870 war, was nevertheless considered by the Romanian elite as its „older sister‟. The author then examines how France used its position to institutionalise its cultural propaganda in „Grand Romania‟ (1919-1939), working alongside Romanians to spread its influence to the annexed territories, and how a cultural agreement was signed in March 1939 despite the hostile environment created by the fascist and Nazi regimes. Relations were unsettled during the final period (1940 to 1965), with the struggle to retain French works of art during the war, the promising exchanges in the immediate after-war years, and the termination of the agreement in 1948 by Soviet-controlled Romania. After a barren period a new agreement was signed in 1965. Throughout the period French culture was enriched by its contact with Romanian intellectuals and artists whose works were integrated into France‟s cultural heritage. The author uses family records to tell the story of her Romanian ancestor, the artist Mihai Simonidi (1872-1933). After arriving in France in 1892, he exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and gained a certain reputation amongst the Paris and Bucharest elite. Well-known for his nudes, marine scenes and murals, some of which can still be seen in buildings in Bucharest, he also painted the portraits of famous French artists and writers and Romanian politicians of the time.

Dall'analisi dell'opera di Rifā‘a Rāfi‘ al-Ṭahṭāwī intellettuale egiziano del XIX sec. Taḫlīṣ al-ibrīz fī talḫīṣ Bārīz (Dell'oro raffinato a Parigi in condensato) emerge come la traslazione di categorie moderne francesi, da lui messa in atto, sia fondata sul concetto di fiṭra, un endoxon culturale espressivo dell'identità arabo-musulmana. Fu l'incontro con la cultura francese che gli permise di riscoprire la rilevanza del concetto arabo-musulmano di fiṭra per la dinamica della conoscenza umana. Esso è alla radice stessa della facoltà della parola e perciò dell'atto traduttivo. / The translation work, from French to Arabic, of Rifā‘a Rāfi‘ al-Ṭahṭāwī an important Egyptian thinker of the XIX century - is founded on the concept of fiṭra, a cultural endoxon of the Islamic Arabic culture. He recovered the relevance of the concept of fiṭra for Human process of knowledge in his culture by the encounter with the French culture. According to the Muslim Arabic culture the human possibility of language is based on the concept of fiṭra and so the translation process.